While the Detroit Lions had quite a good draft, addressing two major holes in the first two rounds of the process, they still remain needy at two other positional groups of need - cornerback and edge rusher.
Yes, they took Michigan's Derrick Moore at 44th overall, and they also took Texas Tech's Skylar Gill-Howard and Tennessee's Tyre West as additional defensive lineman who can get in on the competition for EDGE2. But, it would be pretty beneficial to Detroit if they were to go sign another veteran edge rusher.
As for cornerback, injuries continue to make that room shaky. Terrion Arnold hasn't had a completely dominant season yet, while D.J. Reed left much to be desired after being the Lions' biggest get in free agency in 2025. While the Lions added firepower in free agency with Roger McCreary, Christian Izien, and drafting Keith Abney II, an additional outside corner remains a big need.
Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano wrote about the Lions after the draft, saying that those two positions of need combine to create a bit of a question mark over the defense overall headed into 2026.
"The Lions addressed their biggest needs in the draft, but after selecting offensive tackle Blake Miller in the first round, it’s not a given that the other players will make an immediate impact. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if Detroit signed another veteran edge rusher to take pressure off second-round pick Derrick Moore, the Michigan product with 10 sacks last season. And cornerback has been an up-and-down group for the past few years now. Terrion Arnold, the 2024 first-round pick, can’t be trusted to start all season."
Lions' remaining positions of need reveal weakness for Detroit's defense
As Verderame and Manzano note, the Lions' health on defense - specifically, the health of Arnold - created a huge "next man up" mentality for the team in 2025. The "Legion of Whom" wouldn't have been such a thing without the health woes suffered by the teams' secondary.
So, it makes it hard to believe that their corners will remain healthy when all they've done in the last few seasons is suffer from injuries.
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Adding more to that room, and to their edge rusher room, could make the difference throughout the regular season. If Moore isn't ready to start right away, the Lions do have D.J. Wonnum, but there's some more significant talent on the market remaining in Cam Jordan. He's still unsigned, and would be a fantastic veteran to add to the locker room - plus, his health has been his calling card his entire career.
While Detroit's offense remains a juggernaut on paper, they must avoid repeating their mistakes from last season by ensuring they've loaded up as much as possible at pass rusher and cornerback for 2026.
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